Fireproof building construction.



No. 652,535. Patented lune 26, |900.

' F. L. DOUGLAS.

FIREPHOOF BUILDING CONSTRUCTION.

(Application filed Jan. 11, 1899. Renewed Feb. 19, 1900.)

(No Model.)

77 W/TNESSES A TTOHNE ISi TTIES FREDERICK L. DOUGLAS, OF .NEW YORK,N..Y.

FIREPROOF BUILDING CONSTRUCTION.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 652,535, dated June 26,1900. Application filed January 1l, 1899. Renewed February 19, 1900.Serial No. 5,742. (No modelfi .To @ZZ wiz/0m it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK L. DoUGLAs, ol the city, county, and Stateof New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inFireproof Building Construction, of which the following is a full,clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to improvements in ireproof buildingr construction,and especially in the construction of floors and ceilings, in which itis sought to protect Jthe metal of the floor-supports from above andbelow.

The object of my invention is generally to produce an essentiallyiireproof structure suitable for a floor, in which a permanent compositecenter of terra-cotta (or other suitable material) and metal is formed,having means for easy reproof connection between the upper andlowerparts of the floor, forming, respectively, the floorproper and ceiling;

also, to produce a structure of this character which is thoroughlylireproof, which has convenient means for attaching the other parts ofthe floor, and, finally, to produce a structure of the kind describedwhich is as lireproof as possible and which is particularly cheap.

To these ends my invention consists of certain improvements in reproofioor construction, which will be hereinafter fully described andclaimed.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar figures of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the views.

Figure l is a broken plan view, partly in sectiomof a door, showing myimprovements, the concrete and floor proper being omitted. Fig. 2 is acrosssection on the line II II of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a section similar toFig. 2, but showing an arched form of lioor construction. Fig. et is adetail section on the line IV IV of Fig. 1, and Fig. 5 is an enlargeddetailed end view of one of the Y-beams forming part of my invention.

In illustrating a portion of the door construction I have shown theI-beams 10, which are generally used and which are supported in theusual way, either on walls, girders, or columns, and extendingtransversely between the III-beams are Y-beams 11, forming an inrportantfeature of my invention, and which,

as illustrated, are supported on the flanges of the I-beams 10, althoughobviously they may be supported on walls or other supports,ifnec essary.These Y-beams are provided with base-flanges 12, extending at rightangles to `the web of the beam, and with diverging upper arm 13,whichare adapted to be embedded in the concrete, as more specificallydescribed presently. TheI I beams are preferably formed of sheet metal,which can be bent into the cross-sectional shape illustrated in Fig. 5,as this form of beam is cheaper; but this construction is not essential,and the beam can be formed of iron or steel in any usual way. Thebase-flanges 12 of the Y-beams 11 enter slots 15 in the terra-cottablocks 14, or the blocks may be of brick or other ireproof material. Itwill be seen that the Y-beams are thus made to serve as hangers orsupports for the blocks 14, which thus thoroughly protect the metal ofthe beams, to the lowersides of which blocks the plastering is attached,as usual.

The blocks 14 next the I-beams 10 are bevn eled slightly, as shown at16, so that keys 17, of terra-cotta or other material, may be placedbeneath the I-beams 10 and supported on the beveled parts of the blocks14. These keys 17 are not new, and they are arranged so as to leave aspace between them and the I beams. l

The Y-beams 11 may be straight or arched, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, andthe upper portions of them are embedded in concrete,which extends upwardto a point above the I-beams 10 5 but,if preferred, the concrete may besolid relatively to a point only a little above the tops of the Y-beams,after which cinders or similar material may be piled upon the concrete,and the upper surface of the composite body may be comparatively solid,like the lower part, so as to firmly hold the sleepers 19, which rest onthe I-beams, rmly embedded in the concrete and serve as anchorage forthe iioor 20, which is nailed to them in the usual manner.

It will be observed that the Y-beams 11, having, as they do, their upperflanges embedded in the concrete, form, in connection with the concrete,a composite structure or beam, part metal and part concrete, having goodtensile strength and capable of support- IOO ing a great weight. It willbe seen that this composite structure or beam has base-liangcs formed ofthe '['langes 12, already described, to which the blocks 14 can besecured, while the upper flanges 13 prevent any sagging or slipping, andthat the upper part of the loor can be applied to this central structurewith great ease, and consequently cheapness.

It will further appear from the description above and by reference tothe drawings that every particle of metal in the whole flooring,

including the I-beams and Y-beams, is thorclaim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent- 1. In a structure of the kind described, the'combination of suitable supports, as the I- beams, the parallel Y-beamshaving baseiiangeS, concrete or cement in which the tops of the Y-beamsare embedded, the slotted ireproof material hanging on the base-anges ofthe Y-beams and a filler above the concrete or cement bed,substantiallyv as described.

2. The combination with suitable supports, of a composite beamcomprising a series of metallic beams arranged at essentially rightangles to the supports and each shaped to form a double web, doublediverging top flanges, and bottom iianges extending at right angles tothe web, and a cement or concrete bed in which the top flanges anda partof the web of the metallic beams are embedded, the bottom flanges beingthus brought below the beam to serve as hangers for the iirepro'ofmaterial.

FREDERICK L. DOUGLAS. Witnesses:

W. B. IIUTCHINsoN,

H. I. OsER.

